Miniature dogs are super cute precisely because of their size. They are bred as such so it is expected that they’ll be smaller.
Unlike German Shepherds who can be larger than life, not just in size but in personality. Meet Ranger, an adorable two-year old German Shepherd who is destined to stay small for life.
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This boy was born with dwarfism.
Shelby Mayo from Phoenix, Arizona, owns Ranger who has a rare genetic disorder known as pituitary dwarfism. The condition is a result of “autosomal recessive inheritance”, or recessive gene inheritance.
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Mayo initially thought Ranger was the runt of the litter, and that he would eventually grow in size like his siblings.
“When we originally got Ranger from the breeder, he was smaller than all his other littermates, but we figured that was because he had a parasite.”
Ranger went to the vet and they found that he did have a parasite. The GSD also had Giardia and an “infection” on his neck.
“During this time Ranger remained very small,” Mayo said.
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“The vet had suspected that he may have pituitary dwarfism.” The recessive genetic disorder could mean that Ranger’s parents must have been carriers of the mutation.
“After a few more months we got him neutered and that’s when we started to see big changes. He lost his appetite, started to lose weight, lost almost all of his fur and had extremely dry and flaky skin.” Mayo added.
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Ranger also had a thyroid problem as revealed during his further checkups.
The dog’s doctor placed him on levothyroxine. Ranger bathed with a special soap as well which helped his fur grow back while preventing dryness of the skin.
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The Utrecht University in the Netherlands carried out studies on pituitary dwarfism. They found that the condition is associated with growth hormone deficiency. It is a recessively inherited disorder in shepherd dogs.
Dogs with the condition may have various developmental impediments, behavioral problems, and even a compromised immune system.
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Life expectancy without treatment is only around four to five years old. Pituitary dwarfism can be prevented as there are a number of treatments available for dogs with the condition.
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Ranger’s journey is on Instagram thanks to Mayo. The pup has thousands of followers, all of them showering him with love and support.
“One of our followers, ‘Guardians Farm,’ a small company that makes handmade soaps [and] lotions . . . sent us goat milk soap, which ended up helping Ranger’s skin immensely,” said Mayo.
Ranger’s condition is challenging but Mayo assures followers that the dog is happy and healthy.
“He is healthy and happy as can be as of now and loves jumping around and playing with his ball and squeaky toys with his two sisters Hazel and Jessie.”
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Ranger is just like any other dog. He may have dwarfism but he’s still a GSD at heart. All he needs is a whole lot of love and a whole lot of support. He’s got a caring family and lots of adoring followers. He’ll be fine!
Meet Ranger below then follow him on Instagram!
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